ROCC:
REFORM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
Reflections on 21st Century Catholicism
website director: John R. Connolly, Ph.D.
Emeritus Professor, Loyola Marymount University
REFORM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
Reflections on 21st Century Catholicism
website director: John R. Connolly, Ph.D.
Emeritus Professor, Loyola Marymount University
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this website is to investigate and reflect upon Pope Francis' vision for the Catholic Church in the twenty-first century and his mission to reform the church. Through this reform Pope Francis seeks to enable the church to more fully address the pastoral needs of Catholics today and to make the institutional Church more responsive to the challenges that the Church is facing in the twenty-first century.
Pope Francis' vision for reform of the Catholic Church is rooted in the ecclesiology of the Second Vatican Council, more specifically in "Gaudium et Spes, The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World." For Pope Francis "Gaudium et Spes" is not merely a list of formulations, but the manifestation of a new theological method and a new ecclesiological orientation. This website will investigate and evaluate the specific aspects of the theological foundation of Francis' vision of reform, its pastoral ramifications, and its reception by Catholics today. One cannot claim that Pope Francis' vision of reform is perfect, however, we optimistically propose that it provides the best hope for restoring the resilience of the institutional Catholic Church and the faith of Catholic believers in the twenty-first century.
NEW ARTICLE - JUNE 1, 2024
Challenging Times for U.S. Catholics who Support Pope Francis and his Reform of the Catholic Church
by John R. Connolly
(See Article)
NEW ARTICLE - JANUARY 4, 2023
NEW ARTICLE - SEPTEMBER 30, 2023
A Brief History of The Catholic Church's Response to the
Lefebvrist Movement's
Rejection of the Vatican II Reformed Liturgy
by John R. Connolly
(See Article)
Lefebvrist Movement's
Rejection of the Vatican II Reformed Liturgy
by John R. Connolly
(See Article)
REVISED ARTICLE - SEPTEMBER 30, 2023
Pope Francis on the Vatican II Reformed Roman Missal
The New Traditionalists
A Commentary
by John R. Connolly
(See Article)
The New Traditionalists
A Commentary
by John R. Connolly
(See Article)